Healthy Chicken Vegetable Casserole
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(697)
  • Minutes to Prepare:
  • Minutes to Cook:
  • Number of Servings: 6
Ingredients
12 oz cooked chicken breasts, diced2 T all purpose flour2 T butter, unsalted10 oz skim milk1 pinch white pepper1 t Italian seasoning1 T parmesan cheese, grated7 oz penne pasta, whole wheat2 yellow or orange bell peppers, chopped1 zucchini, chopped2 heads, approx. 12 ounces broccoli, chopped1/3 c monterey jack cheesenonstick cooking spray
Directions
Prepare the white sauce by placing the butter in a small sauce pot that has been preheated over medium heat. Once the butter foams, add flour and stir for 1 minute; try not to let the mixture turn brown. Add milk to the mixture and continue to stir until it starts to bubble. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add pepper, Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese to the sauce. Stir to combine. Cook pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, preheat oven to 350 degrees. During the last minute of the pasta's cooking, add the chopped broccoli to the water. Allow to simmer for one minute.

Drain the pasta and broccoli. Spritz the bottom and sides of a 9 X 13 oven-proof casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the pasta and broccoli with the chicken and chopped vegetables; cover with the sauce. Place in the baking dish. Sprinkle with the Monterey jack cheese and cover with foil.

Bake for 20 minutes; remove foil and continue to bake until cheese is melted.
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Nutritional Info Amount Per Serving
  • Calories: 320.6
  • Total Fat: 8.9 g
  • Cholesterol: 51.8 mg
  • Sodium: 175.3 mg
  • Total Carbs: 36.1 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 8.8 g
  • Protein: 27.9 g

Member Reviews
  • JEWELRY224
     I really like this but I added 2 Tbsp. low fat whipped cream cheese to give it a little more creaminess. I may also saute the peppers & zucchini prior to baking. The peppers were a little too crunchy for me after baking for 30 mins. Also added some green onions from the garden. - 9/16/09
  • KNOBLE88
     Instead of poaching the chicken and having to add all the additional spices to kick it up a bit, try grilling the chicken with your favorite spices. That will give it the extra spice you want and the flavors will enhance the dish! - 3/24/10
  • TIGGYWINKLE1
     Loved the combo of foods - but I needed a "zing" factor so added red pepper flakes to zip it up. Delish !!! Whole family enjoyed it and it was quick and easy to make. - 9/18/09
  • KNITTABLES
     This was awesome, I added mushrooms and garlic to it. will make it again - 10/9/09
  • INDIANAGAL1
     I used 2 cups of cheese on top for my family. I am glad I did because there didn't seem to be enough white sauce. Next time, I would add onion and saute the onion, peppers and zucchini prior to baking. I would also increase the amount of white sauce. - 10/20/09
  • MRSLVABLEBEAR
     Great recipe. Subbed regular penne for ww (hubby doesn't like), and added 1 clove garlic and 3 choped green onions. Cooked peppers, garlic & green onions briefly in pan w/non-stick spray. Very tasty, and couldn't tell it was low-fat. Thanks Chef Meg!! - 10/19/09
  • MJ-SHE-BEAST
     I was out of pasta and have been trying to get my family to eat brown rice, so I used it instead. They loved it!! - 1/18/10
  • MUCKITY_MUCK
     This is really delicious - even my picky husband ate it up (and he never likes healthy dishes). Based on the previous reviews, I added 1/2 onion, ~8 mushrooms and ~5 cloves garlic; cooked vegetables while everything else finished. *Try serving with salsa to give kick, instead of making more sauce* - 12/17/09
  • CD5613635
     Great dish! Easy and delicious, I added Paprika on top of the cheese to get a tasty finish - 10/9/09
  • SUESMITH73
     Made this for dinner tonight. We loved it! I left out the parmesan cheese & used lemon pepper instead of white & red pepper instead of yellow or orange. The pepper jack cheese is a nice addition. Thanks for sharing this. - 10/10/09
  • NICOSJOY
     This is easy and fun! My family is dairy free, gluten free, mostly sugar free. I improvised using almond milk and a combination of almond/soy cheese, I used Earth Balance margarine as well and brown rice pasta. I added extra seasonings! My family is taking it for leftovers for lunch. - 11/11/09
  • ANTIQUELOVER
     We made this for dinner tonight. The servings are HUGE! We liked it very much, but next time will cook the peppers with the pasta and broccoli. I did not have any Monterey Jack cheese, so we used Gruyere instead. Delicious. - 12/13/09
  • DAISY1358
     This was great! I used precooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and mexican cheese on top. The white sauce was perfect as is (just enough to cover everything). - 3/8/10
  • MOLLYR618
     This was amazing! I made it tonight and my two teenagers LOVED it! I used both a red and orange pepper and sauteed the strips with the chicken and topped with a skim mozzarella instead of monterey jack - but wow! Fabulous! - 1/31/10
  • COCONUTPRINCESS
     I agree! Servings are HUGE and I feel completely satisfied after eating it. Not enough sauce and cheese, BUT if there was more that would effect the calories so it makes sense that its mostly veg and not very much sauce and cheese. My oven is pretty hot so the veggies were done for me. - 2/23/10
  • GRAPESXO
     Made this tonight added fresh ginger and green onions - delicious and tastes even better being a healthy meal - 1/31/10
  • CCSOGIRL
     THIS IS VERY DELICIOUS!! i doubled the recipe, and the only thing i changed was boiling the chicken in broth rather than water and adding some garlic (but i add garlic to everything)
    we all loved it. - 12/16/09
  • WETMAC
     I do something similar but instead of adding cheese and baking, I cook on the top of the stove and add a chicken stock cube and some mushrooms instead of broccoli. Most deliious and nutritious and very satisfying. Also I asdd a little hot chili powder just to give the dish a bite. - 12/12/09
  • SUNFISHDEB
     My family liked this but I think it was a bit bland. Next time I will add garlic,onion powder and some hot spices. I also will use cheddar instead of jack cheese. - 1/28/10
  • DODGEEWE
     I loved this recipe! I usually don't like italian seasoning but I trusted that it would taste good and it did! I used bird's eye frozen broccoli and cheese. I just used the cheese chunks and melted it in the sauce instead of the monterey jack. Makes a great comfort food too. My new favorite! - 10/12/09
  • MABEHR40
     Very mediocre...def needed more sauce to "hold it together" and more spice. Looked creamier in the picture. Probably will not make this again...sorry! - 3/29/10
  • SCHULDIG09
     Beautiful dish, easy to make, and good texture. I do agree with others that it was rather bland. I am going to try it again and try it with another spice combination. I think it can make wonderful single portion freezer meals and a great healthy party dish for work. - 12/31/09
  • SHIRLEYFAYE3
     very good I added onion too - 10/1/09
  • --KREN
     Casseroles are such comfort food! Most of them use those cream of something canned soups that are so bad for you. Please - MORE healthy casseroles! - Karen - 10/22/09
  • SCHWINNER!
     I made it exactly as-is, and we loved it! Okay, actually, we added some salt after cooking, but it came out great. The prep is a little involved, but it was worth it - so tasty and pretty simple. - 10/13/09



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